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"APPENDIX A: USE OF SIPP FOR RESEARCH AND POLICY ANALYSIS."
The Future of the Survey of Income and Program Participation.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 1993.

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OCR for page 265
Appendix A
Use of SIPP for Research
and Policy Analysis
In assessing the cost-effectiveness of a survey such as SIPP, it is important
to ask to what extent the data are being used outside the sponsor agency for
research and policy analysis purposes. Immediate use will not follow initia-
tion of a complex survey because of a time lag until data files become
publicly available and a further time lag until users complete and publish
their analyses. David and Robbin (1991:62-66, 78-79, 84-88) examine pub-
lication activity for SIPP during the first 6 years after the data files from the
1984 panel became available (1985-1990), comparing it with the publica-
tion activity over a comparable period (1971-1976) in the history of the
Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) and the National Longitudinal
Surveys of Labor Market Expenence (NLS).
Table A-1 provides counts of research and policy analysis papers by
users of SIPP and NLS (excluding methodological papers and those pre-
pared by the survey staff) for years 1 to 6. The SIPP counts are from
Committee on National Statistics (1989:Table 3-1) and panel staff; the NLS
counts are from bibliographies obtained and analyzed by David and Robbin
(l991:Table 3.10. SIPP exhibits a rate of increase in use of the data over
the first 6 years that compares well with the NLS. (Conferences sponsored
_
1The publication counts developed by David and Robbin for the PSID are not shown because
they are not entirely comparable with those for SIPP and NLS: the PSID counts are limited to
papers published in refereed journals, while the SIPP and NLS counts also include working
papers and professional association presentations.
265

OCR for page 265
266
APPENDIX A
TABLE A-1 Papers Produced from SIPP and NLS
Data Over a 6-Year Period
SIPP NLS
Year (1985-1990) (1971-1976)
1 17 12
2 10 14
3 16 18
4 69 36
50 51
6 56 57
Total 218 188
NOTES: SIPP, Survey of Income and Program Participation; NLS,
National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Expenence. The
period for each survey represents the first 6 years after data files
became widely available.
SOURCE: Data from Committee on National Statistics (1989:Table
3-1) for years 1-4 for SIPP; compilation by panel staff for years
5-6 for SIPP; David and Robbin (l991:Table 3.10) for NLS. David
and Robbin (l991:Table 3.10) also provide counts of papers from
SIPP, including those using data from the SIPP ACCESS system
at the University of Wisconsin and those using data obtained di-
rectly from the Census Bureau or other sources. However, the
bibliography they developed to obtain the latter counts is known
to include duplicates and may also include methodological pa-
pers, as the combined totals appear unrealistically high for most
years. The David and Robbin SIPP totals are as follows: 1985,
39; 1986, 21; 1987, 26; 1988, 68; 1989, 67; 1990, 74 (based upon
pare-year bibliography).
by the Social Science Research Council account for the relatively large
number of SIPP papers in 1985 and 1988.)
Table A-2 shows the number of dissertations by year that used data
from the SIPP ACCESS system at the University of Wisconsin (which David
and Robbin managed), the NLS, and the PSID. SIPP compares favorably
on this dimension of data use with the PSID. The higher dissertation output
of the NLS results from a Department of Labor grant program that sup-
ported dissertation research with the NLS data.
Turning to the subject areas for which SIPP data have been used in
research and policy analysis studies, Table A-3 classifies SIPP papers issued
in 1989 and 1990 by topic. Percentages add up to more than 100 because
some papers were assigned to more than one category. Papers of Census
Bureau staff as well as outside analysts are included.